President Donald Trump is sending 300 members of the California National Guard to Oregon after a judge temporarily blocked him from deploying the Beaver State’s guard to Portland, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Oct. 5.
Newsom vowed to fight the move in court.
The White House on Oct. 5 did not immediately confirm the deployment. The California National Guard referred questions to the Department of War. A War Department spokesperson declined to comment.
In a statement posted to his website, Newsom called Trump’s mobilization of hundreds of California National Guardsmen to Oregon a “breathtaking abuse of the law and power.”
“The Trump Administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words—ignoring court orders and treating judges, even those appointed by the President himself, as political opponents,” Newsom said.
“The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens. We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the President of the United States.”
Months ago, Trump federalized California’s National Guard over Newsom’s objection following protests in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
A federal judge on Oct. 4 temporarily blocked Trump from deploying the Oregon National Guard to Portland in response to violent protests targeting immigration officers.
“This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs,” Judge Karin J. Immergut, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, wrote in her order.
“This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: this is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that, if accepted, risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power—to the detriment of this nation.”
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon recused himself from the case when the Department of Justice filed papers with the court accusing Simon’s wife, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), of publicly criticizing Trump’s plan.
Immergut was randomly assigned to the case after the recusal, a court clerk told Simon.
National Guard in Portland, Chicago
Portland’s ICE building has been the scene of nightly protests, and Trump described Portland as a “war zone” rife with crime and unrest. Trump also called Chicago a “war zone.”
Trump ultimately authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops on Oct. 4 to protect federal agents and assets in Chicago.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson confirmed the deployment in a statement to The Epoch Times.
“Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has authorized 300 national guardsmen to protect federal officers and assets,” she said. “President Trump will not turn a blind eye to the lawlessness plaguing American cities.”
Pritzker accused the Trump administration of attempting to escalate tensions amid ongoing clashes between protesters and federal officers in the Chicago area.
“It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will,” Pritzker wrote in an Oct. 4 statement. “They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance—not a serious effort to protect public safety.”
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said on Sept. 30 that he has authorized the state’s National Guard troops to provide administrative and logistical support to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) law enforcement operations in the state.
The authorization came in response to a request from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Department of War (DOW), according to a statement released by the governor’s office.
It stated that National Guard troops will be authorized to assist with “administrative, clerical, and logistical duties,” such as data entry and case management at ICE processing facilities starting on Oct. 1.
They are authorized to assist ICE until Sept. 30, 2026, the governor’s office stated. Kehoe, a Republican, said that this support is intended to enable ICE personnel to focus on “core enforcement and security functions” across the state.
“Public safety, keeping Missourians safe, and upholding the rule of law is our administration’s top priority,” the governor said in the statement.
“The Missouri National Guard is uniquely equipped to provide this essential administrative support, and we are confident their contributions will be invaluable to immigration enforcement efforts.”
His office stated that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on July 25 authorized federal funding for members of the National Guard to provide support to DHS at ICE processing facilities through Title 32, which allows guard members to perform missions for the Army, Air Force, president, or war secretary with the permission of the governor.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a Democrat, issued a statement denouncing the governor’s decision, saying that it would divert National Guard service members from their mission of protecting the public.
“Using the brave women and men of our National Guard as paper pushers and case managers at immigration facilities undermines their mission and the law, directs them away from the important storm-response and local public safety efforts Missourians care about, and marks another example of Missouri public policy operating for the interests of Washington elites rather than every day Missourians,” he stated.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also condemned Kehoe’s move to authorize National Guard troops to assist with ICE operations amid the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
“With the backdrop of masked immigration agents breaking apart our families and communities, it is particularly concerning that the Governor is asking Guard members to voluntarily participate in this agenda,” Luz María Henríquez, executive director at the ACLU of Missouri, said in a statement.
Missouri’s authorization came just days after Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landy sent a letter to DOW on Sept. 29 requesting the deployment of 1,000 Louisiana National Guard troops to support law enforcement agencies.
The DHS also has asked the Pentagon and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to allow the deployment of 100 military personnel to Illinois “for the protection of ICE personnel and facilities” after clashes erupted between protesters and federal agents outside an ICE processing facility in Broadview, Pritzker said.
Pritzker told reporters on Sept. 29 that he opposes the troop deployment.
Last week, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, under Title 10, Section 12406 of the U.S. Code, in the wake of escalating clashes outside federal immigration facilities. In response, the state of Oregon filed a lawsuit on Sept. 28, alleging that Trump had exceeded his executive authority in ordering the deployment.
Trump has already deployed troops to Los Angeles and the District of Columbia, and he has threatened to send them to Baltimore, New Orleans, and Memphis, Tennessee, as part of a broader fight against urban crime.
About 60 students walked out of morning classes on Oct. 1 to protest their high school’s policy allowing male students who identify as transgender to use girls’ bathrooms, in Anaheim, California.
Joining the students at a press conference at Esperanza High School, opponents of state polices allowing transgender-identifying males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports and use female bathrooms and locker rooms said it’s time for the Trump administration to follow through on its threats to withhold federal funding from schools accused of violating Title IX.
Sophia Lorey, outreach director at California Family Council and former college soccer athlete, told The Epoch Times the federal government “should start pulling and withholding federal funding, especially in states such as California that “continue to put girls in harm’s way.”
“It’s time that these lawsuits start playing out,” Lorey said following the press conference.
Although many parents believe Title IX violations aren’t an issue if their children aren’t playing sports, she said, the walkout showed that all girls in high school who simply want to safely use the restroom are affected, Lorey said.
California lawmakers in 2013 passed Assembly Bill 1266, which allowed males who identify as transgender to use girls’ restrooms.
At the walkout—attended by about 35 female and 25 male students—Lorey accused state lawmakers of failing to protect girls.
“These students have taken it into their own hands to lead a student walkout, to stand strong and say they are not OK with boys in the girls’ restrooms,” she said.
The girls voiced concerns about a male student using the girls’ bathroom, and that it makes them feel uncomfortable and unsafe.
Lesley Ledesma, a junior student who led the walkout, said a transgender-identifying male has been using the girls’ restrooms. And, when she complained to the school administrators, she was told that if she felt uncomfortable sharing the bathroom with him, she could use the one in the nurse’s office instead.
“This felt like a slap in the face to me,” she said. “As a young woman who has used the girls’ bathroom my entire life, I was now being asked to step aside. It didn’t feel fair. It didn’t feel respectful. It felt like my concerns, and the concerns of other girls, were being overlooked.”
Ledesma, who has attended Esperanza since her freshman year, said the incident stripped away the sense of safety she once felt at school.
“Everyone deserves dignity,” she said. “But dignity cannot come at the cost of someone else’s sense of safety. We must find a solution that protects the rights and feelings of all students, not just some.”
Eddie Ledesma, her brother, said it’s hard to watch his sister struggle.
“I want her and all the other girls here to feel safe in a place [that] should be private,” he said. “This isn’t about hate. It’s about respect.”
Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified school board president and a parental rights advocate, said at the walkout that because gender ideology has been normalized to the point where girls are told to sacrifice their privacy, safety, and dignity to accommodate boys in restrooms, the fight to protect girls has become a nationwide effort.
“This isn’t progress. This is regression. This is hate on girls,” she said. “This is the hill that we will die on to protect our kids. We are done. We’re not playing these games.”
If California continues to push gender ideology in schools, the problem will only get worse, she said.
“We have allowed radicals and special interests to push this madness, and too many officials have stayed silent or defended policies that put children at risk.”
Shaw said via text message to The Epoch Times following the press conference that “it’s not just time to consider withholding federal funding, it’s already time to act.”
The governor, state legislators, California Interscholastic Federation, and “too many school boards,” she said, have made it very clear they’re not budging on this issue.
“Title IX was written to protect girls, not erase them,” Shaw said. “If schools and states refuse to comply with that, then federal funding should be pulled.”
President Donald Trump’s executive orders recognize two sexes—male and female—and make it clear that only females belong in girls’ and women’s sports and in female bathrooms and locker rooms.
“‘Sex’ is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity,’” read Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”
“‘Gender identity’ reflects a fully internal and subjective sense of self, disconnected from biological reality and sex and existing on an infinite continuum, that does not provide a meaningful basis for identification and cannot be recognized as a replacement for sex.”
The president also signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” in February.
The two orders reversed Biden-era Title IX policies and reinstated regulations from Trump’s first term as president. The back-and-forth changes in regulations have led to legal disputes about Title IX interpretation and enforcement.
The Trump administration on Sept. 30 warned of legal action against the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League for allegedly failing to comply with Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs.
In June, the U.S. Department of Education concluded its Title IX investigations into the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation for allegations of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of sex. In both cases, the California Department of Education and the Interscholastic Federation were found to be in violation, and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the Trump administration would “relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls.”
The California Department of Education has authority over California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees 1.8 million high school students and more than 750,000 student-athletes, according to the DOJ.
In July, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched a lawsuit against California, alleging the state’s laws promoting transgender athletes violate Title IX by depriving girls of equal athletic opportunities.
“California is on the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of history,” U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “Women deserve dignity, respect, and an equal opportunity to compete on their own sports teams. The time for talk is over. California must comply with Title IX and end its civil rights violations against women.”
Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, an LGBT civil rights group, said in June that the federal education department’s findings were “a dangerous distortion of Title IX and a direct attack on transgender youth in California.”
“Let’s be clear: this isn’t about fairness in sports and never has been — it’s about a federal administration weaponizing civil rights laws to target transgender students and force California to comply with their hateful anti-transgender agenda,” Hoang wrote in a statement. “Transgender youth belong in our schools, on our teams, and in our communities — without apology and without exception.”
The governor’s office did not respond to an inquiry by publication time.
In his own podcast aired in March, Newsom told his guest, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last month at a college campus in Utah, that allowing men to compete in women’s sports is “deeply unfair.”
Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener praised Newsom for his past efforts to defend and support people in the LGBT community and criticized the governor for the remark.
The governor has since discussed fairness in sports, while opposing federal attempts to roll back state laws and policies.
Unplanned Flaring Event Reported At Chevron’s El Segundo Refinery Following Explosion
Chevron’s 285,000 b/d El Segundo refinery in Los Angeles County suffered a major fire late Thursday, the cause of which remains unclear amid mounting speculation on X. Although the blaze was extinguished by Friday afternoon, multiple unplanned flare events have been reported since then, indicating potential issues with refining production or equipment failures in critical units. The longer the disruption at one of the most critical refineries on the West Coast continues, the greater the potential impact on Southern California fuel prices – a region home to major military installations and key port infrastructure, which only raises the question about energy security and whether this incident was an industrial accident or something more deliberate.
In recent days, the Segundo refinery has experienced multiple unplanned flare events, which typically indicate a process upset or equipment malfunction that requires operators to burn off excess hydrocarbons for safety reasons.
Chevron’s refinery — the company’s 2nd biggest site in the US — in El Segundo, outside los Angeles went bang last night at around 9pm local, people were saying they thot they got nuked, feeling the blast!
Flarings occur when refinery systems (like compressors, distillation units, or heat exchangers) suddenly fail or pressure builds up unexpectedly. To prevent explosions or toxic gas releases, the flare system activates and burns the gases instead of a vented release.
Some of the typical causes of flare events:
Compressor or pump failure
Power outage or voltage drop
Sudden feedstock quality change
Overpressure event in distillation or cracking units
Instrumentation/control system malfunction
There’s been no word from El Segundo refinery officials about the cause of the two unplanned flare events, and no official statement has yet been released on what triggered Thursday night’s explosion at the facility.
On Friday, Bloomberg cited Wood Mackenzie, which said shutdowns include a 60,000 b/d catalytic reformer, a 45,000 b/d hydrocracker, a 73,000 b/d fluid catalytic cracker (FCC), and two hydrogen plants. The fire began in the convection section of a furnace tied to the Hydrocracker/ISOMAX complex. This area of the refinery produces diesel and jet fuel.
Goldman analyst Adam Wijaya warned clients on Friday that “$8 gasoline concerns are very real for CA” following the fire at the refinery (read report).
In a separate note, Goldman analyst James McGeoch noted: What looks like a large fire at CVX’s el Segundo refinery in California. 280kbpd nameplate, around 100kbpd of gasoline and the same jet/diesel. Cali is quite a contained mkt but if it’s offline for a while it’ll have some spillover to broader mid-west US (+BP) and global jet (+ve REP).
The refinery is situated in the heart of Southern California’s military-industrial complex, located down the street from major military bases, and fuels the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, two ports that handle 40% of all U.S. containerized imports.
We asked a very simple question: “Is someone sabotaging it?”
Chicago Police Told Officers “No Units Will Respond” As Protesters “Surrounded” Federal Agents: Report
Update (2004ET):
Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported that Border Patrol agents who were “surrounded” by protesters following a vehicle-ramming attack in the Chicago metro area yesterday had requested local police assistance, which was reportedly rejected by the top brass of the local police force. It remains unclear whether the rejection was due to a shortage of officers or a genuine refusal, given the hostility that the sanctuary city, controlled by radical leftists, has shown toward the Trump administration.
“Prigg v. Pennsylvania said states could decline to help federal law enforcement — not obstruct it. Today’s sanctuary jurisdictions have turned “non-cooperation” into active interference, allowing street militias to block ICE. It’s no longer federalism, It’s nullification,” Fox News’ Will Ricciardella wrote on X.
NEW: Multiple law enforcement sources confirm to @FoxNews that Chicago police officers were instructed by their Chief of Patrol to NOT respond to Border Patrol agents call for help yesterday after they were reportedly surrounded by a large crowd of protesters following a ramming… pic.twitter.com/ipPl22Ya3I
The National Fraternal Order of Police condemned the top leadership of the Chicago Police for prohibiting officers from assisting Border Patrol agents in an urgent time of need.
“Details are still emerging, but it appears that officers from the Chicago Police Department were ordered not to assist a group of ICE agents while they were physically threatened by what appeared to be an angry mob,” Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, wrote in a statement, adding, “Let me be clear, both the National FOP and the Illinois FOP believe that when an officer calls for assistance, you answer, no matter what.”
Listen.
🚨BREAKING: Radio transmissions confirm Chicago Police were ORDERED not to respond to calls for help from ICE after a domestic terror attack on their Agents and surrounded by insurgents yesterday. @GovPritzker deliberately endangered the lives of these Federal Agents. https://t.co/UPGfS38USXpic.twitter.com/Gt5NLYQkrz
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying roughly 200 Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, halting plans to protect federal assets and personnel amid Antifa-linked attacks on an ICE facility in the southern part of the metro area. Meanwhile, the White House is preparing to send up to 300 Guard troops to crime-ridden Chicago to combat left-wing agitators and assist federal efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens amid attacks over the weekend.
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut stated on Saturday that there was “no evidence” that protests in the city amounted to a rebellion or significantly hindered law enforcement, and that the White House’s justification was “untethered to the facts,” according to Reuters. The injunction will remain in place until at least October 18, pending further litigation.
“The President’s determination was simply untethered to the facts,” Immergut wrote.
What are the facts, Immergut?
Here are some of the latest:
Federal agents deploy tear gas to repel anti-ICE crowd blocking ICE facility’s driveway in Portland, Oregon.
Breaking: The first of the Portland Antifa ICE rioters has been federally convicted.
Trantifa militant Julie Winters, formerly Christopher Hudson, has pleaded guilty to felony intimidation of a federal officer and resisting arrest. Other serious charges were dropped as part of… https://t.co/tMs7sAXnMrpic.twitter.com/KLpUSJ1mx6
Portland (Oct. 4) — Far-left anti-government extremists have surrounded the ICE facility in an attempt to storm the building. They are encouraged to get arrested for the cameras and will have immediate access to cash and free lawyers. pic.twitter.com/RXgB1M6XBn
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Reuters, “President Trump exercised his lawful authority to protect federal assets and personnel in Portland following violent riots and attacks on law enforcement — we expect to be vindicated by a higher court.”
The White House filed a notice of appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Saturday night.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson told reporters that his city was peaceful and “this narrative was manufactured.”
Yet local police appear to be protecting domestic terrorists, such as Antifa warriors, while arresting journalists and conservatives:
Oregon’s Democratic Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit after Trump announced plans to deploy troops to Portland to “protect federal immigration facilities from domestic terrorists.”
The state argued the action unlawfully seized control of its National Guard and violated the 10th Amendment, emphasizing that Portland’s protests have been peaceful. Immergut agreed that Oregon is likely to prevail, warning that Trump’s legal approach could allow a president to deploy troops “virtually anywhere at any time,” thereby undermining the separation of civil and military authority.
Meanwhile, leftist Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois on Saturday warned that President Trump was preparing to send 300 Guard troops to Chicago in the very near term.
And take a look at the chaos just yesterday in the crime-ridden sanctuary city…
“Law enforcement under siege in Chicago as agitators hurl rocks, bottles at federal vehicles departing violent protest near scene of apparent coordinated attack on ICE officers in Brighton Park earlier today,” Border Hawk wrote on X.
BREAKING: Law enforcement under siege in Chicago as agitators hurl rocks, bottles at federal vehicles departing violent protest near scene of apparent coordinated attack on ICE officers in Brighton Park earlier today
Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, wrote on X, “Today in Chicago, members of our brave law enforcement were attacked—rammed and boxed in by ten vehicles, including an attacker with a semi-automatic weapon. I am deploying more special operations to control the scene. Reinforcements are on their way. If you see a law enforcement officer today, thank them.”
Today in Chicago, members of our brave law enforcement were attacked—rammed and boxed in by ten vehicles, including an attacker with a semi-automatic weapon.
I am deploying more special operations to control the scene. Reinforcements are on their way.
Here’s one of the DHS vehicles that was rammed by the woman who was shot. I warned showed the videos where people in Chicago were boxing federal agents in and nothing was done about it other than a few tough talking appearances. This is the result. pic.twitter.com/kkBZ1nnNE8
The attack yesterday in Chicago underscores the dangers law enforcement officers face every day as they remove criminal illegal aliens from American neighborhoods.
The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop. We are praying… pic.twitter.com/3K7uxuG2SI
Okay, reach for your tin foil hats and let’s stroll down the Conspiratorial Rabbit Trail. Ready, Everyone? Here goes:
When the Special Military Operation began in early 2022, during the 8th year of fighting in Ukraine, the new aspect of the conflict was cast strictly in terms of Democracy vs. Autocracy; valiant Ukraine holding back the onslaught of Russian tyranny; or the defense of Western democratic values against dark barbarism from the East; or the Rules-Based International Order against the forces of Chaos, etc. etc. No one talks that way today, unless it is Kalla Kallas, or the Lithuanian prime minister, Keith Kellogg, or cringingly recently by King Charles III. I suppose Anthony Blinken would, if he had access to a microphone. But he doesn’t.
The problem is, of course, that liberal democracy did not turn out to be the Fukuyamaian End of History that it was purported to be. (In February 2022, before my current views had quite solidified, I distinctly remember thinking, however, “Oh, History is back.”) The decline of democracy, so-stated, is most pronounced where its horn is tooted the most: Europe. Orwell predicted rightly, all political animals are equal, but some political animals are more equal than others. Don’t ask questions in Romania. Or Moldova. Running as an AfD candidate in Germany can get you fitted for a coffin in no time flat. And don’t even get me started on the U.K., where the governing elites are certifiably insane, and whose Prime Minister I’ve recently heard characterized as Tony Blair’s sock-puppet.
Real political expression can often seem more vibrant in the vilified countries–Russia, Hungary, Slovakia–though it may not translate to real political options. But no matter, dissent is decidedly not welcome in the European Parliament. Just ask Georgia what happens when you try to chart an independent course, based on your own country’s national interest. And of course, there is that bastion of freedom itself, Ukraine, where, if you are a man under 60 years of age, you don’t dare emerge from your flat, even if wheelchair-bound.
A friend characterized it thusly: “Ukraine is being not so much governed, as torn up at her beleaguered roots, by a bloodthirsty power-drunk drug-addicted neoliberal narcissist clown.” A clown, I might add, who is still allowed to address the United Nations. Anyone, (Simon Tisdall in today’s Guardian, for example) still repeating the Democracy vs. Tyranny narrative is simply not a serious person; to be avoided at cocktail parties and whose blatherings are to be dismissed out of hand.
As any reader here knows, I prefer Realist interpretations, best stated by John Mearsheimer, to-wit: Projection of Western hegemony vs. Russia’s “Red Line” (Eastward expansion of NATO vs. Russia’s defense of their Western border.) Realism rejects the view of NATO as a benign defensive alliance, which collapses in the face of even a cursory view of actual history. Russians had good reasons for viewing it as an existential threat directed at them, which of course it was.
The eastward march of NATO, the coup d’etat of 2014, the creeping NATOization of Ukraine in late 2021—all in the face of repeated, consistent, and increasingly urgent warnings from Moscow–do not need to be recounted again here. The real agenda was not, of course, the incorporation of what was demonstrably the most corrupt nation in Europe into NATO, but rather the destablization of Russia itself. For the Empire of the West, regime change is always on the agenda. Always. And so it will be until the Empire falls.
The idea, it seems, was always to overthrow the Russian government and/or oversee the establishment of a compliant one (a la Ukraine), and perhaps break the country up into more manageable bits. Once this was accomplished, we could turn our full attention to China. If this was indeed the plan, it has been a failure of yet unimagined and colossal magnitude that it indeed heralds the death of the Empire itself. Or so I thought.
Tin-foil hats secured? Consider this: What if the ultimate plan was never to defeat Russia at all? For it has rarely been done; the Golden Horde almost pulled it off some 800 years ago, and Sweden scored some victories for a season over 400 years ago. We expect such fantastical thinking from the EU elites (and Fredreich Merz, who raises no alarms by speaking of rearming Germany again.) But I would expect there to be at least a few objective students of History within the bowels of our Permanent State. Rather, what if the immediate plan is the the defeat of Europe, not Russia; reducing it to permanent vassal state status? There are three main ways in which this is being accomplished:
Ditch the inexpensive Russian oil that had been the foundation of Europe’s prosperity in recent decades. Beginning with their destruction of NordStream, this lengthy cutting-off-of-the-nose-to-spite-the-face is now nearly complete. The governing elites (save Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey) have convinced themselves that they will get cooties if they use “cheap Russian oil.” Instead they have opted for much more expensive fuel from us, and from…the Russians, after it has been first filtered through India. This is decimating economies and leaving many people struggling to survive. But no matter, their moral purity and “European values” are intact.
Deplete all Europeanweapons stockpiles, throwing them heedlessly into the Black Hole of Ukraine. Of course the European elites cannot shake their Ukraine addiction because a) Zelensky wants more and they cannot refuse their creation, who might get angry with them; and b) they believe if Russia defeats Ukraine, they will come after Europe next. On the second point, one should ask for some empirical evidence. Unfortunately, there is none. Russia seems single-mindedly intent on securing its western border, and displays no apparent interest in what lies beyond. Indeed, what does Russia want with the meager crumbs of Europe, when a sumptious feast is being laid in the East? No matter, this story continues to be repeated to justify the ongoing bankrupting of Europe. They cannot manufacture the weapons Zelensky demands, so they must buy overpriced weaponry from the United States. And so, the engines of Empire are stoked. (One side point: NATO buying weapons from the U.S. is largely the U.S./NATO buing weapons from the U.S. Look for this twist to change, if it ever comes to it.)
As the President has made clear in recent pronouncements, Europe will bear ALL the cost for prolonging the war. Nothing prevents any one of the European governing elites from picking up the phone and calling the Kremlin, and beginning a dialogue. But that will never happen. The war must go on in the vain hope of eventually, somehow, tricking the U.S. into a long-lasting commitment to Europe (through Ukraine.) So what looms ahead for Europe? Certainly not prosperity. Civil unrest and bankruptcy seem on order, as Europe settles-in to being part American vassal-state, part “open-air museum.”
So, if this is the plan, I must say that it is succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. And the Russians have been exceedingly helpful. Russian tanks rolling across the steppes in traditional fashion would have alarmed Europeans and galvanized a true, unified response. Instead, Moscow pursues a slow and steady war of attrition, one that a) churns up the Ukrainian army, b) protects its own soldiers, and c) doesn’t unduly alarm the Europeans (despite their paranoid rhetoric.) For those of us who review the battle lines every day, there is no great sweep of territory underway (leading neocon dead-enders Lindsay Graham and Keith Kellogg to assert that the line is stalemated and/or Ukraine is actually winning.)
The Russians move forward, one field at a time. They protect their troops, the casualty figures whispered from Zelensky to Kellogg to DJT are works of upside-down fantasy fiction. The Russian army resists directly assaulting a town, preferring to encircle it with giant pincher movements. I’ve watched it again and again, and is now being played out in Povrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Siversk, and Kupyansk. Of course, Zelensky allows no retreat, ever. And so, they more or less fight to the last Ukrainian, in the killing fields of these cauldrons. By some estimates, Ukraine has lost 1.7 million men. Another 250,000 have deserted.
Donald Trump’s recent Truth Social post is a curious piece in this scenario. If he meant what he said, then that does not speak well for him; showing him to be either be a fool or, as has been judged by some, as simply believing the last person he talked to; in this case, a 7-minute conversation with Zelensky. But, as is almost universally understood now (even by European leaders, in private), this was a work of deep sarcasm. But that is troubling as well. There is no diplomacy here. And there is no courage, only manipulation and evasion. I give DJT credit for often being shrewd, but he is never courageous, too given to trying to please everyone.
He deduces that since some claim Ukraine is winning, then the U.S. is not needed anymore; that Europe can supply whatever arms they do need, and that the U.S. will be happy to sell those weapons to them. In short, the U.S. has no strategic interest in this conflict, and leaves it to the European continent to sort out. This could have been stated straight-forwardly, repeatedly, beginning on 20 January 2025. DJT thinks Ukraine’s coming defeat will thus be blamed on Europe (I’m not too sure of that). The United States has its own problems, but in this scenario, will emerge in much better shape than the Europeans, responsible for the hollowed-out husk of Ukraine.
At the WEX OTR Summit, Derek Leathers, chairman and CEO of Werner Enterprises, warned of tight capacity and higher operating costs in the trucking industry.
“We’re at a tipping point,” Leathers told attendees. “Capacity is leaving the market little by little. The industry needs significant rate increases to sustain itself. This isn’t just about survival — it’s about making sure trucking can continue to deliver America’s goods safely and reliably in the years ahead.”
WEX, a global commerce platform that simplifies the business of running a business, held its summit Wednesday through Friday in San Antonio, Texas.
The event brought together over 150 leaders from the over-the-road trucking industry for two days of insight, innovation and collaboration.
With the theme of “The Road Ahead,” this year’s summit features keynotes, and strategic discussions on the trends shaping transportation, including fuel management, fraud protection, payments technology and more.
The second day of the conference featured a keynote address from Leathers, who cited weak rates, new tariffs, driver shortages and cargo theft as key risks — even as nearshoring fuels U.S.–Mexico trade growth.
Leathers, whose company is one of the largest U.S. trucking and logistics providers, noted that freight rates have been challenging in recent years, leaving many small carriers unable to reinvest in equipment or operations.
Omaha-based Werner Enterprises was founded in 1956 and has around 8,000 trucks and over 24,000 trailers. The company provides service across North America.
“What’s going on in the freight environment right now? Obviously, rates have been depressed, and although it is stable, they are stably horrible for the most part over the last several years, well below people’s operating costs in many cases. At a minimum, not a reinvestable rate level,” Leathers said.
With Class 8 truck orders at historic lows and OEMs scaling back production, he predicted it could take years to rebuild manufacturing capacity, leading to higher truck prices “at the time we can least afford for them to be more expensive.”
Tariffs squeeze supply chains
Tariffs were another key focus of his address. Leathers cautioned that only about half of the tariff impact has reached consumers so far, with the rest absorbed by suppliers and retailers — a strain he expects will increasingly filter through the supply chain.
He also raised concerns over new tariffs on trucks made in Mexico, despite USMCA’s trade protections, arguing they will further inflate equipment costs.
“On the truck side, two thirds of all or three fourths of all truck makers actually exist and make their trucks in Mexico. If I had been betting on this stage a year ago, I would have lost that bet because I would have said that USMCA would supersede and that there would be no additional tariffs on trucks from our neighbors. Clearly that is not the case as we stand here today,” Leathers said.
Leathers also highlighted the industry’s growing safety and compliance challenges, including renewed enforcement of English-language proficiency rules for CDL holders and the scrutiny of B-1 visa drivers operating cross-border routes.
Nearshoring strengthens U.S.–Mexico trade
Looking at broader trends, he pointed to nearshoring as a lasting shift that will deepen U.S.–Mexico trade ties. Werner already moves more than 300 cross-border loads daily, a number he expects to grow as U.S. companies boost investment in Mexico.
“Mexico is the only neighboring country or even nearshoring option that actually has good demographics,” Leathers said. “Very few places in the world do and Mexico actually does have as many people coming into the population. as they’re losing from the population and that’s true for the next 10 to 20 years.”
Cargo theft and supply chain security
Beyond the macroeconomic headwinds, Leathers also addressed rising cargo theft, calling it a “terrifying” trend fueled by organized crime. He urged shippers and carriers to strengthen vetting and technology safeguards to protect supply chains.
“Cargo theft has continued to rise. I think when you see a population that feels underdressed, that’s when risky behavior seems to always increase over time,” Leathers said.
“I think this is an area where not having proper vetting of every single man or woman on the road makes a difference. We know factually speaking from the FBI and others, there are in fact many criminal organizations outside the United States that are heavily involved in this work. There are organizations inside the U.S. as well, but the numbers are staggering.”
Trucking leaders say data will drive sustainable freight
Executives from FedEx, J.B. Hunt, and NFI Industries said the trucking industry’s path to sustainability hinges on efficiency and data-driven reporting, as customers and regulators press for greater transparency.
Speaking at the “Driving Green with Data: Executive Insights on Sustainability and Reporting” panel on Thursday, FedEx Express executive Mickey Black highlighted the company’s pledge to reach carbon neutrality by 2040.
“That commitment gave the entire organization a clear mandate,” Black said.
J.B. Hunt’s Jared Mounce outlined the carrier’s 32% greenhouse gas intensity reduction target by 2034, stressing that intensity goals better reflect efficiency as freight volumes grow.
NFI’s Alexa Branco emphasized the importance of tracking fuel consumption, idling, and emissions intensity to prove ROI and prepare for stricter reporting.
Panelists agreed shippers increasingly require emissions reporting in contracts, some now demanding lane- or package-level detail.
Sarah Booth, director, Sawatch Labs; Alexa Branco, director of sustainability, NFI Industries; Mickey Black, managing director global vehicles and surface fuel, FedEX; Jerrod Mounce, vice-president of energy & sustainability, J.B. Hunt at the WEX OTR Summit in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday.
A newly released report by ChargerHelp! shows that while 64% of Americans now live within two miles of an electric vehicle charging station, nearly one-third of charging attempts fail. Despite charging infrastructure showing 98.7% to 99% uptime rates, only 71% of charging attempts actually succeed, according to the 2025 EV Charging Reliability Report.
The report analyzed more than 100,000 sessions across 2,400 chargers. The report argues that instead of focusing on site uptime statistics, the first-time charge success rate (FTCSR) provides a more accurate measure of the driver experience.
“Uptime tells us if a charger is available, but it doesn’t tell us if a driver can actually plug in and get a charge on the first attempt,” said Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp!, in an interview with FreightWaves. “First-time charge success captures the real driver experience, and by centering on this metric, the industry can close the gap between availability and usability and build the trust needed for mass adoption.”
The complexity of EV charging stems from multiple software systems that must work in harmony, explained Terry, who has nearly a decade of experience in the space.
“Charging stations and electric vehicles are literally computers,” Terry said. “It’s all about these handshakes and how one software understands another software. If you’ve ever been in the software space, then you probably know that sometimes software doesn’t really understand one another.”
When any of these systems sends out firmware or software updates, compatibility issues can arise. As Terry notes, “Sometimes it may create a bit of a wrinkle in that system … maybe the vehicle itself, the battery management system, doesn’t really understand what the charging station is asking of it.”
These technical barriers create real-world problems for EV operators. In one example, a fleet driver might arrive at a station showing a green “available” indicator, only to find that after plugging in, the station fails to initiate authentication or begins the process but returns to the available screen without completing a charge.
Unlike Tesla’s vertically integrated system, most charging infrastructure involves multiple companies developing separate software components for vehicles, hardware, charge management systems, payment processing and connectors. This fragmentation creates interoperability challenges that directly impact consumers.
The report also identified trends in infrastructure aging. Success rates drop from 85% after the first year at new stations to approximately 70% after three years. This often happens because older hardware cannot be upgraded to newer protocols without significant equipment replacement.
“With older stations, some architecturally inside the unit itself cannot be upgraded to the new protocol,” Terry explained. “You would actually have to deploy a new piece of equipment into that unit in order to update it.”
This creates an added wrinkle for site owners using legacy infrastructure. While new vehicles are tested with current charging stations before deployment, they aren’t typically tested with older charging infrastructure, creating potential compatibility gaps.
Another challenge is regulatory oversight limitations. Unlike gasoline pumps, which undergo regular inspections by state authorities, EV charging stations face limited regulatory supervision. While weights and measures departments do monitor publicly deployed charging stations, their focus is primarily on ensuring consumers receive the electrons they’re paying for, not overall system reliability.
“Even if the station isn’t functioning at all, you wouldn’t get your sticker. They’re more so making sure that you’re not cheating the consumer,” Terry explained, adding that private fleet charging infrastructure falls outside this regulatory framework entirely.
The report recommends three key industry improvements: adopting FTCSR as a central metric, implementing preventive maintenance programs rather than relying on short-term hardware fixes, and establishing a collaborative industry approach to standardize protocols and share data.
Despite these challenges, Terry remains optimistic about the future. “It’s a solvable problem,” she said. “Even gas cars, switching from the horse and buggy to gasoline cars … was not an easy thing. But somebody figured it out. We got roadways, we got vehicles, and now we’re inside of this new kind of transition.”
Cartels Dox, Set $10K Bounties To Kill US Immigration Officials: DHS
Cartels have doxxed and put bounties of the heads of several federal immigration officials – offering $10,000 to kill or $2,000 to capture them, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Sunday. She did not specify whether the bounties applied to a particular agency such as ICE, or the US Border Patrol.
“We have specific agents who have had bounties put out on their heads,” Noem told “Fox & Friends Weekend” earlier today.
“It’s been $2,000 to kidnap them, $10,000 to kill them. They’ve released their pictures; they’ve sent them between their networks. It’s an extremely dangerous and unprecedented situation.”
🚨 @Sec_Noem BOUNTIES HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE HEADS OF ICE AGENTS:
$2K TO KIDNAP, 10K TO KILL
This is domestic terrorism.
Send in the military to protect our agents.
Ignore any judge who says otherwise. pic.twitter.com/wMLneokGlS
Noem did not reveal which specific groups were issuing the bounties, saying only “It is gangs, it is cartel members and known terrorist organizations.”
“They are making sure that they know which officers are out there and being extremely effective, and they want to take them down, because they want to try to stop the operations that are going that are that are keeping them from making money off their criminal networks.”
* * * Meat Customers – reminder to order by midnight PST for Wednesday delivery
This is not something I can say every day, but I feel “all talked out.”
We just concluded our annual Annapolis Geopolitical Summit. Turnout was amazing as the summit grows year after year. We covered a range of topics, with not only our Generals and Admirals (ret.) contributing, but also the influence from our former CIA officers and some of the industry specialists who participated in the summit was keenly felt. Clients were also able to share their insights.
Prior to the summit, I had the pleasure of having dinner in DC with the Under Secretary of War, Tony Tata, which was incredibly interesting.
I’m on my way to Toronto to take my father to watch the Blue Jays play the Yankees. Then off to Chicago and Milwaukee as we have numerous meetings and events planned. A really exciting time here.
So Many Narratives
If you missed last weekend’s Meandering Through the Narratives, that is worth a gander. We covered the i-shaped economy. Something we think will gain traction as being more “accurate” than either the K or k-shaped economy.
Russia’s frozen € reserves. That is the new twist as the administration (and potentially Europe) ramps up their pushback on Putin. This could be a pivotal moment for Europe (and the bond market).
A few of the topics deserve a bit more time.
Peace Through Strength
Peace Through Strength remains a theme. Our GIG (Geopolitical Intelligence Group) had a lot of thoughts on the 10-points announced in Quantico on Tuesday and the overall messaging. I think we are all digesting it, but my quick takeaways were:
Some GIG members who I thought would have been against much of what occurred, were not, and vice versa.
The points listed, in and of themselves, were not overly controversial.
One risk, that was pointed out multiple times, is that while physical fitness, etc., is important, much of what drives a modern military is “brain power” and we would be remiss to create a culture that pushes out brain power. Nothing in particular happened on that front, but it is something to think about.
While a “corporate rebranding” comparison remains valid, maybe some of the messaging and tone was possibly “more aggressive” than necessary?
There was little support for the “enemy within” tone as the GIG, collectively, views the military (from senior officers to the lowest ranking soldier) as working together for the good of the services and the country.
ProSec
Production for Security. You might be surprised by how many tickers are being thrown at me. Every day it seems (because it probably is every day) that someone is sending me a new ticker to look at as a candidate for what we have been calling ProSec™. In last weekend’s report we wanted to make it clear, that yes, like many, we have concerns about longer-term ramifications and would like to see governance issues more clearly defined, but for now, keep investing on the basis of this admin taking new approaches to jump-start technologies and industries deemed critical to national security (which can also be described as critical to preparing for trade negotiations once again with China a couple of years down the road).
It is fun to watch (and fun to learn about) as these tickers are tossed our way, and also fun to profit from this view that hasn’t caught on (at least not as a slogan), but is working extremely well.
Electron Production
The shift from molecules to electrons, which Mike Rodriguez (our Head of Sustainable Finance and a decorated Marine) helped me to use as a phrase, is “blowing up.”
Every serious conversation about AI and Data Centers “devolves” or “evolves” into a conversation about electron production (electricity for us “luddites”).
Electricity production came up during almost every conversation at the summit.
We had clients who helped us and provided information that we have just started to digest (and probably won’t really complete our review until after today’s baseball game). This is in addition to the copious work Mike Rodriguez has done and continues to do.
I could keep going on now, but I’m not well enough prepared, and quite frankly, I am “talked out” so expect more on this later in the week.
Cyber
Cyber came up in interesting ways at the summit. Everyone “knows” about cyber risk. Everyone is “doing something” about cyber risk. But are we doing anywhere close to enough?
How do public and private entities work together to protect each other?
A lot of “wins” go undocumented, for good reason, so the fears may be overly inflated. Adequacy of response – true deterrence – was discussed in detail.
I was a little surprised by the focus on cyber, but maybe because it is morphing from an “everyone knows” to “everyone is really trying to figure it out” stage.
Space
On the final day of the summit, we hosted a “war game.” It is an interesting opportunity to “role play” and think about things. One “twist” that was given to one of the groups, was a Chinese missile “knocking out” a U.S. satellite.
Space as both an investment opportunity and a domain of war, is something we bring up periodically, but need to focus on more.
Government Shutdown
We suggested people Prepare for an Extended Shutdown. We are getting some pushback that a deal could come as early as this week. Given the sources, it is plausible, but I’m still in the camp that this is going to drag on, and we are going to see some “surprising” announcements. In my view, the people saying, “this will end soon” are playing “politics as usual” or following “traditional norms” and I’m not convinced that is the right way to look at things.
Bottom Line
I managed to fill 2 pages while being “talked out.” lot is going on and this seems like an ideal time to develop scenarios for the major themes so you can react as they evolve!
